No inquiry into 1974 IRA Birmingham pub bombings

Up to 50 people were in the Mulberry Bush pub on New Street, Birmingham when a bomb exploded on 21 November 1974

BBC Wreckage including splintered wood and rubble on the pavement outside a building whose front has been blown out. Two policemen in uniform and helmets stand with their backs to camera in a group with three other men in dark clothing. Two men in coats stand looking inside the ruined building with their backs to the camera. — Up to 50 people were in the Mulberry Bush pub on New Street, Birmingham when a bomb exploded on 21 November 1974

The government has announced it will not establish a public inquiry into the IRA’s 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.

Twenty-one people died and 220 were injured by bombs at the Mulberry Bush and Tavern pubs which remain unsolved.

In a statement on Thursday, security minister Dan Jarvis said while he had deep sympathy with the families, “after careful consideration” the government would not commit to an inquiry.

Julie Hambleton, whose sister, Maxine, died in the bombing responded: “As long as there is breath in my body I will fight for justice.”

She had previously said a failure to hold the inquiry would be “the epitome of moral and ethical turpitude”, adding only an inquiry would reveal the truth.

Jarvis said it was the government’s “firm belief” that the existing Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) could effectively investigate the incident.

The ICRIR is a body established to look into deaths during Northern Ireland’s decades-long conflict.

It was set up under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act and replaced separate inquests and civil actions related to the so-called Troubles.

Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Ms Hambleton described the current commission as “tantamount to the government literally marking their own homework.

“There is no true independence at all as far as the commission is concerned.

“We have blood that still runs through our city pavements because no answers are being given.”

Ms Hambleton set up the Justice for the 21 campaign group to call for a public inquiry and said it was “quite right” that tragedies like Grenfell and the Manchester Arena attacks should be the subject of their own inquiries.

Julie Hambleton criticised the government’s decision not to set up a separate inquiry

PA Media A fair-haired woman stands in front of floral tributes. She is wearing purple-framed glasses, a green scarf and blue coat. — Julie Hambleton criticised the government’s decision not to set up a separate inquiry

While the IRA never officially admitted responsibility, it is widely believed to have been behind the attacks.

An inquest in 2019 ruled the victims were unlawfully killed by the IRA, but did not determine the identities of those responsible.

The group known as the Birmingham Six were initially convicted of the attacks, but freed in 1991 after being cleared of involvement.

Jarvis said the existing commission was created exclusively to investigate Troubles-related cases and operated independently from the government.

“The commission has been granted a wide range of powers to access information, including from government departments, the police, and the security and intelligence agencies,” his statement said.

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